When you make service-based estimates, the amount of contraceptives you will need is based on the number of clients the program expects to serve in one year. There are established guidelines for determining how many contraceptives will be required per client on an annual basis.
These formulas differ depending on whether the client is a new user or a continuing user for each method. These estimates are only guidelines of the amount of contraceptives needed per couple for a twelve-month period. An additional amount should be added for wastage. If you can obtain better figures from your own country, use them to estimate annual contraceptive usage rates.
| Method | Per Continuing User | Per New User |
|---|---|---|
| Oral contraceptives | 13 cycles | 6.5 cycles |
| Condoms | 100 pieces | 50 pieces |
| Jelly | 6 tubes (per diaphragm user) | 3 tubes |
| Foam | 6 cans | 3 cans |
| Foaming tablets | 100 tablets | 50 tables |
| Diaphragms | .3 pieces | 1 piece |
| IUD | .4 pieces | 1 piece |
| Injectables | ||
| Depo Provera | 4 doses | 2 doses |
| Noristerat | 6 doses | 3 doses |
| Implant (Norplant--3.5 years protection) | .3 implants | 1 implant |
* These estimates are based on the average length of time that family planning clients actually use each method. Their potential product effectiveness is longer. For example, the Copper T-380 is effective for up to six years and Norplant for up to five. In the case of diaphragms, IUDs, and implants, which are not reissued to clients on a regular basis, use the factors indicated to calculate the quantities of these items needed to supply continuing users. Some of these numbers may be subject to modification after further research.